


The Secrets of the Wickery Bridge

by InstructionsNotFound



Series: Inhuman AUs [2]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/F, F/M, Inspired by The Vampire Diaries, M/M, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2019-10-31 09:42:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17847041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InstructionsNotFound/pseuds/InstructionsNotFound
Summary: Kaede is entranced by the new, mysterious boy in town Rantaro Amami.Her best friend, Shuichi, is more concerned about his mischievous cousin, Kokichi Ouma, and the secret he's hiding.But in truth, both Rantaro and Kokichi have a secret; they're vampires.





	1. High School Never Ends

**Author's Note:**

> I've been rewatching the vampire diaries, and I've had something similar to this is mind for eons, so I decided to go for it.
> 
> The title is a work in progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro and Kokichi have only been in the town of Mystic Falls for a week, and they're already starting trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter last updated 9/8/19

 For many, the town of Mystic Falls was quiet. The type of small town girls dreamed of escaping in hopes adventure. 

 

But those who fall under that category are grimly mistaken: trouble was brewing in their beloved town, and it made no signs of leaving. 

 

That trouble happened to come in the form of two boys: Rantaro Amami and Kokichi Ouma. 

 

"You can't do this, Kokichi." Rantaro looks pissed as he speaks, files he stole from Sheriff Saihara clenched in his fist.

 

"What makes you so sure it was me?" Kokichi feigns innocence. Typical. 

 

"Then explain these." Rantaro sighs, shoving the papers into Kokichi's hands. 

 

"Hm…" Kokichi studies them. "So what? There were a couple animal attacks! You can't pin everything on me. Do I look like an animal? I demand a lawyer!"

 

Rantaro narrows his eyes. "Three animal attacks since our arrival. The bites are from a creature with prominent fangs. All of the bites were on the victim's wrists, and you happen to be the only vampire I've met who's too short to reach necks."

 

"And none of the victims seem to remember the details of the event..." Rantaro could go on for ages. "Shall I continue?" 

 

“Okay, okay. I get your point! It's a  _ little _ suspicious. But nobody believes in vampires! And they're already perfectly content with writing it off as an animal attack,” Kokichi attempts to persuade, shrugging off his actions to purposefully irritate Rantaro.

 

“This isn't a joke, Kokichi. This is the  _ one _ town I can't get banned from,” Rantaro pleads; Mystic Falls was his eternal home. 

 

"What'd you expect when you brought me here?" Kokichi points out.

 

"Just name your price," Rantaro lets out another sigh. He didn't feel like arguing anymore.

 

"Let me go to school." Kokichi doesn't miss a beat; this little negotiation had been his plan all along. 

 

“Not a chance," Rantaro quickly shuts down the thought. In no world could he trust Kokichi to keep the fact that they were vampires a secret in a building full of a couple hundred teenagers, all of which Kokichi saw as walking blood bags. Or at least Rantaro imagined he did. 

 

"Oh, but Rat! School would keep me busy as a bee. And then I wouldn't be so bored all the time." Now  _ that _ part of his argument, Rantaro could ignore. But what came next… "And when I'm bored, I get hungry-"

 

The implication was clear. If Rantaro didn't suddenly change his mind and let Kokichi infest the school, the so-called animal attacks would never stop. Or worse: they would start leading to bodies. 

 

Rantaro paused. It didn't seem like he had much of a choice in the matter. Nor the time to think up a backup plan. 

 

“Fine. But there are rules,” Rantaro relents, not having much of a choice in the matter. "Non-negotiable ones." 

 

“You can't tell anyone you're a vampire, even if you don't think they'll believe it,” He starts, looking Kokichi in the eye to show his seriousness.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Got it.” Kokichi mumbles, not fond of Rantaro's serious tone.  _ Would it kill 'em to lighten up?  _

 

“No drinking blood on school grounds,” He adds, earning an eye roll from the other.

 

“And no compelling,”  Rantaro finishes. “If there's no way around it, I'll do it.”  
  


“Come on!” Kokichi complains. That's my favorite part. Pretty please?”  
  


“No.”  
  


“Fine, but that means you've gotta let me be a junior! If I have to repeat sophomore year, I'm going to kill myself. And I've already died, so I  _ know _ how sucky it is.” Ouma demands.

 

“... It does make sense, since you turned during junior year. And it will let me keep a better eye on you if we're in the same class,” Rantaro accepts, before warning. “That means no shenanigans. You can't ruin anything I'm doing.”  
  


“Me? Shenanigans?” Kokichi repeats with a gasp, as if the concept of him being a troublemaker was the most absurd thing he had ever heard. “Never ever!”

 

Amami didn't bother calling him out on his bullshit, he was tired of playing babysitter. Even his 12 sisters never gave him this much of a headache growing up. 

 

He had to rely on the hope that Kokichi wouldn't purposefully ruin everything for him just to get through it. Rantaro wasn't used to being the uptight one, and he was beginning to miss having fun. 

  
  


Now that he had gotten the go ahead, Kokichi was  _ excited _ .

 

Normally, he hated the nightmare that was high school. (Who wouldn't?) But when you knew your future was an eternity, finishing homework didn't mean shit, and you could snap the neck of any annoying classmate in the blink of an eye, it was so, so worth it. A perfect playground for someone like him to raise Hell.

 

As long as he found loopholes in Rantaro's rules that is. 

 

“Junior year here I come.” He announces to the world, eager as ever.

 

* * *

 

 “Shu... How hard would it be for Rantaro to learn basic human manners?” Kaede grumbles, hugging Shuichi's arm so tightly he could hardly move it,entirely preventing him from finishing his essay. 

 

That's what best friends were for, after all: saving oneself from literary distress to talk about boys.

 

With a sigh, he closed his laptop. He didn't want to write the essay anyways, he supposed. Putting it off a little longer wouldn't hurt.

 

“What makes you ask that?" Shuichi prompts, giving her an incentive to explain her question. 

 

"Have you noticed that when I talk to him, he always changes topic? And he  _ never _ makes eye contact." Kaede begins her tangent. "And that's not even the worst of it! Did you know he sits in chairs backwards?  _ Backwards _ ! Who does that? Don't even get me started on his sexy, mysterious smirk-"  

 

"Ah,” Shuichi concludes, giving her a look. "You like him."

 

Kaede lightly hit Shuichi on the shoulder, going for denial. “No I-”

 

She then paused, biting her tongue. It wasn't worth denying; Shuichi could read her like a book. And besides, there's not much arguing you can do when you let the buzzwords  _ sexy  _ and  _ mysterious _ slip out. 

 

“You don't always have to be right, you know,” She complains, staring up at the ceiling.  
  


He rolled his eyes at that, a faint smile forming on his lips. 

 

Shuichi almost didn't hear it, but Kaede then let out a simple, yet catastrophic, phrase: "Who knew I had a thing for green eyes? Grey's always been my color." 

 

It was a weird thing to say. She  _ had _ to have known that.

 

The time they dated was something they didn't talk about. Shuichi assumed it was off-limits to bring up so nonchalantly. But here she was, referencing it in broad daylight. 

 

…But it wasn't as tense as he anticipated.

 

They had only dated because everyone expected them to. Shuichi had never even thought about their relationship in a romantic way, but still they persisted in the facade for six whole months. 

 

And when Shuichi's parents skipped town and ditched him for dreams of fame, everything became difficult, and they broke up.

 

Neither regretted trying to date, but they were better off as friends, and they both knew it. It had gotten to the point where there was no benefit in pretending otherwise. 

 

"I wonder what mine is," Shuichi adds in a joking manner, but it doesn't quite come out that way. Almost like there was too much truth to the dilemma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thanks for giving this a read! I greatly enjoy feedback, so please feel free to leave a comment!


	2. The Other New Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi entered the chat. Er, the high school.  
> And Kaede starts her quest of befriending Rantaro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter last updated 9/8

Being the small town that it was, everyone was still buzzing about the new kid Rantaro Amami a week after his arrival. No one could seem to figure him out. 

 

That's why Shuichi dubbed it as a phenomenon when a  _ second _ new student appeared. He noticed him the second he walked into class. His purple hair could be seen from a mile away. 

 

Sure, in many other schools it might be commonplace to have several new kids in a short amount of time, especially midway through the year. But in the small town of Mystic Falls, that  _ never _ happened. Not even once in a blue moon. 

 

And so it wasn't surprising when Shuichi, the Sheriff's nephew, became fixated on the purple-haired boy that reeked of grape soda on his first day of school. 

 

“Class, settle down. We have another new student!” The teacher, Ms. Monophanie, cheers, motioning to him once the bell rings. “Why don't you introduce yourself?”

 

Managing to increase Shuichi's suspicions, the boy, rather than introducing himself right away, began mumbling something along the lines of, “Oh, come on! I haven't decided yet…”

 

_ Decided what? _

 

He then takes a step forward, clears  his throat, and announces, “Fine, fine. Ladies and Gentlemen of this...  _ quaint _ town, I am Kokichi Ouma.”

 

“Go ahead and tell them something about yourself,” Ms. Monophanie prompts, flashing an encouraging smile.

 

At that, he gives a wild grin, staring straight at Rantaro, the other newbie, and opens his mouth in a monotone expression. “I like b-”

 

“Rollerblading!” Rantaro interrupts, a slight amount of hidden fear in his voice as he stands up in his chair. 

 

Now that, Shuichi found odd enough to note. Not only did Rantaro seem like the quiet type from Kaede's description, but it also proved a building theory he had: Rantaro and Kokichi were connected in some way. He just didn't know how. 

 

They couldn't be siblings; they were too different for that.  _ But how else…?  _

 

“I-” Kokichi protests, glaring at Rantaro.

 

“He likes rollerblading,” Rantaro continues, his voice evening out, the frantic tone he disappearing almost completely.  “But he's  _ really _ bad at it.”

 

“Hmph,” Kokichi sighs. “I was  _ going _ to say boys. But rollerblading works too.”

 

“Oh! You must already know Kokichi. Did you two go to the same school?” Ms. Monophanie asks, motioning between the two.

 

That would be  _ too _ coincidental for Shuichi to accept.

 

“A-actually…” Rantaro began, stalling for a moment, before finishing his sentence. “We're cousins.”

 

Cousins. Well, it made sense in theory, Shuichi conceded, but why was there a pause?

 

“...Cousins?” Kokichi repeats, before sighing. “I thought we weren't going to tell them, Rat. You're a big  _ meanie _ .”

 

And so the pieces of the puzzle lined up. It was clear that they didn't have the best relationship with their constant bickering, so it wasn't unusual for them to want to get a fresh start in their new town without being associated with one another. But as all hidden familial relations, it was exposed. You can't hide blood.

 

“Didn't I tell you to stop calling me Rat?" Rantaro protests, just to have Kokichi stick his tongue out at him.

 

Despite the fact that the mystery of the new students had been revealed, Shuichi wasn't fully prepared to drop their case just yet. 

 

He needed to make sure Kaede wasn't falling for someone with bad intentions. And if Rantaro and Kokichi were cousins, that meant investigating Kokichi as well. 

* * *

 

“I didn't know he had a gay cousin,” Kaede says the second she gets the chance. In other words, the moment they were released for lunch. “Do you think this will give me the chance to get to know Rantaro more?" 

 

“It's likely,” Shuichi nods. "Although…I can't quite read Kokichi yet." 

 

"Playing detective, I see.” She teases. "I just wish it wasn't so hard to get to know a little bit about someone-" 

 

“Know about who?” Kaito asks, walking up to the two of them, Maki trailing silently behind, as she tended to do.

 

"The love of her life,” Shuichi clarifies.

 

“Shut up,” She says playfully, before addressing Kaito. “I just want to get to know Rantaro.”

 

At that, Kaito shot Shuichi an uneasy look, probably thinking that Shuichi was hung up on Kaede still.

 

Shuichi gave his own look in return, reassuring Kaito that he wasn't into Kaede like that, and he could support her crush.

 

“Be careful,” Tenko, who was followed by Himiko, warns. “I don't want another guy to stomp on your heart.”

 

“It's okay Tenko. I know what I'm getting myself into,” Kaede says with a smile. “Besides, the last guy couldn't hurt me even if he tried. He can't even win a thumb war.”

 

“It's true,” Shuichi mumbled his agreeance. 

 

“I admit that Shuichi is one of the least degenerate of males here,” Tenko affirms.

 

“But Himiko says she has a bad feeling about the new ones." With no hesitation, she adds. "And she isn't usually wrong about these kinds of things.”

 

The wary look on Himiko's face was enough proof of Tenko's words. 

 

“Okay,” Kaede relents, always trusting her friends. “I'll keep that in mind.”

 

“I'll have your back if anything happens,” Tenko pledges. “I hope for your sake he's a good guy.”

 

With a final nod, both Tenko and Himiko left for the cafeteria.

 

“Well. What are you waiting for?” Kaito asks, with his usual explanatory voice. 

 

"But Tenko said-" Kaede pauses, her face conflicted. It was clear she wanted to follow Kaito's advice and go talk to him right away, but she didn't want to make light of a warning. 

 

"You won't know his intentions unless you talk," Kaito points out. 

 

Kaede looked nervous at first, but then Shuichi shot her a thumbs up, and even Maki nodded slightly in agreement. 

 

“Wish me luck,” Kaede says, before leaving on her mission to find Rantaro, a newly formed smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I greatly enjoy feedback, if you have any!


	3. The Vampire Cousins From Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi and Rantaro begrudgingly come to more agreements, all by a vending machine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go~
> 
> chapter last updated 9/8

"I don't want to be your cousin,” Kokichi whines, watching Rantaro retrieve a bag of chips from the vending machine the boring way.

 

“Too bad,” Rantaro says. “I had to think on my feet. You were too busy making a fool out of yourself to notice the Sheriff’s nephew staring at us.”

 

“He could have just been staring at me,” Kokichi interjects with a wink. “I have that effect on people.”

 

“You're going to get us killed,” Rantaro says with a sigh, opening up his bag of Sunchips. "You _have_ to be more careful than that." 

 

“We're already dead. Might as well go out with a bang second time around,” Kokichi shrugs, stealing a chip out of the bag.

 

“As if you didn't go out with a bang the first time,” Rantaro reminds, rolling his eyes. “I should lock you up for that stunt you nearly pulled this morning.”

 

“Nishishi~” Ouma snickers, recalling his introduction. “The look on your face when you thought I was going to say I liked blood in front of the class was epic. I should've snagged a pic for the memory books.”

 

“That's because you _were_ going to say it.”

 

“What can I say? It's in my nature. And I don't mean human nature! You're to thank for that,” Kokichi flaunts, clearly here to do whatever he wanted.

 

“Quiet,” Rantaro warns with a glare. “Someone could hear you.”

 

“Who cares! You could just compel them. Duh,” Kokichi exclaims. “You're supposed to be the vampire expert, dummy.”

 

“And what if they're on _vervain_ ?” Rantaro asks. “I don't know how much this town knows. That's why we _have_ to be careful.”

 

At that, Kokichi fakes a yawn. “You're boooring.”

 

“I'm cautious,” Rantaro disagrees, throwing away his chips, no longer having an appetite for human food.

 

That was the _real_ effect Kokichi had on people. “I've already started befriending the sheriff's nephew's best friend. That should get us an in.”

 

“Why not go straight for the sheriff's nephew?” Kokichi challenges. “It would make waaay more sense. And save us time.”

 

“Shuichi is too cautious for that. But Kaede seems like the type of girl to fall for the mysterious type,” Rantaro explains. "And I can fit the bill." 

 

“Ooh! Idea.” Kokichi offers, wanting something to do. “I could be his friend.”

 

“No, no, and _no_ ,” Rantaro automatically declines, knowing he can't trust the other with that task. “This is too important to have you in the middle of. I need to know what this town knows.”

 

“No fair!” Kokichi whines.

 

“Don't talk to him unless he talks to you,” Rantaro continues, setting even more guidelines. “You're a normal kid, got it?”

 

“Perfect,” Kokichi grins. “I'll act exactly like I did when I was a human.”

 

"Try to act like a _nice, normal,_   _human_ high schooler,” Rantaro corrects himself. If Kokichi acted like his human self, they'd be found out in a day. Even before he was turned, Kokichi always seemed like he was hiding a secret, and not in the mysterious bad boy way that Amami was hoping to pull off. 

 

" _Nice!_ " Ouma repeats, exasperated. "You want me to act _nice_?" 

 

"It won't kill you," Rantaro reassures, needing Kokichi to agree. 

 

“Only if you let me figure out what happened to his parents.” Kokichi negotiates out of the blue.

 

“Huh?”

 

"Shuichi's," Kokichi explains. "He lives with his uncle, which means there's obviously something up with his parents. And he's still got the eyes of a haunted kid, which means whatever happened was recent. I just can't decide if he was orphaned or ditched." 

 

He shrugs. "What's your bet?" 

 

“I'm not betting on either of those,” Rantaro says, slightly impressed and slightly appalled. “But it's a deal. As long as you don't use any vampire tricks in the meantime."

 

“Look at who's being the loud one now!” Kokichi mocks, pointing behind Rantaro, where Kaede was approaching them from. “Someone could have overheard you~”

 

“Touche,” He mumbles, leaning against the vending machine to initiate his mysterious persona.

 

“Oh, Rantaro?” Kaede says, her face brightening as soon as she sees him. “Fancy seeing you here."

 

“...Kaede, was it?” Rantaro fake remembers, his way of seeming disinterested whilst trying to flirt.

 

Kokichi could barely keep a straight face at the sight. It was pathetic. 

 

The only reason Kokichi wasn't dying of laughter was because he was focusing on activating nice mode, which he still wasn't too sure he had.

 

And for some godforsaken reason, Rantaro's act worked on Kaede.

 

“Mhm,” She nods, glad he remembered. “See? I told you you'd get used to this school in no time! You're _already_ learning names.”

 

“Because it's oh so hard to remember a name,” Kokichi mumbles under his breath, earning a glare from his so-called cousin.

 

...Oops. He hadn't meant for that to slip out, but oh well. What's done is done. 

 

“And this-” Rantaro says, motioning towards Kokichi with gritted teeth. “-is Kokichi. My cousin.”

 

In response, Kaede, being the doll she is, gives him a grand smile. “And I'm Kaede Akamatsu, it's a pleasure to meet you!”

 

“Rat, er, Rantaro, told me he had made a friend, but I never imagined it'd be someone as pretty as you,” Kokichi flatters, only slightly misstepping in the beginning. But who could blame him? He was a beginner. And old habits die hard.

 

And just as anticipated, the compliment makes her giggle, her eyes shining at the thought of Rantaro having mentioned her.

 

“I don't know about you, but I'm starving,” Kokichi mentions, willing Kaede fall for his subliminal message. 

 

“Me too,” She admits, looking at both of them. “Hey, I have an idea. Maybe you two could sit at my lunch table with a few of my friends?”

 

_Too easy._

 

“We'd love to!” Kokichi exclaims at the same time Rantaro answers with a “We'll think about it.”

 

When she laughs at their opposing answers, her head does the classic, endearing tilt, and Kokichi notices a smile erupt on Rantaro's lips because of it-- one that he tries to hide. 

 

But one can never hide the truth from the master of lies. 

 

Kokichi was _so_ going to tease him about the meaning behind it when she leaves. 

 

“If you ever decide, you're free to find me!” She announces, waving a temporary goodbye to them. “I hope I'll be seeing you~”

 

And with that, Kaede was gone.

 

“You like her,” Kokichi accuses the second she's out of earshot.

 

“That's ridiculous,” Rantaro deflects, with a defensive demeanor.

 

“You totally do,” Kokichi disagrees, a mischievous (as always) grin immersing his face.

 

“That's not even practical,” Amami enlightens, refusing to look the other in the eye. Normally, he was fairly good at lying, but against Kokichi? He stood no chance. “I'm way too old for her.”

 

“How noble! Swearing off dating forever because no one will be able to match your billion trillion years of life,” Kokichi teases, showing Rantaro how ridiculous that excuse was.

 

“I'm not _that_ old,” He objects.

 

“You're a few lifetimes older than me,” Kokichi shrugs. "I don't see anything wrong with you K-I-S-S-I-N-G a dumb blonde teenager every once in a while.”

 

“No one's K-I-S-S-ing anyone. And she's not dumb.”

 

“But we are sitting at her table, riiiight?” Kokichi questions, narrowing his eyes at the other.

 

“I'm sitting there. Don't know where you'll be off to,” Rantaro contradicts.

 

“Fine. I'll just go off campus for a nice tasty snack~” Kokichi reasons, licking his lips for the intended effect, clearly implying there’d be another body if Rantaro didn't let him.

 

“...” Rantaro ponders, trying to find a way around it, to no avail. “Okay. We'll sit there. But you better be on your damned best behavior.”

 

“Yaaay!” Kokichi cheers.

 

A sweet, sweet victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? Any feedback? Any predictions?


	4. Lunch With The Sheriff's Nephew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Lunchtime looks like in Mystic Falls, featuring two bickering vampires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter last updated 9/8
> 
> please enjoy!

“ _ Rat _ .” Kokichi demands, looking at him expectantly.

 

“...” Rantaro stalls. It had all just been in theory before, but now that they had an invitation to sit with Shuichi, the real work began. And somehow, Kokichi had weaseled his way into the job, and showed no signs of backing off.  He was losing control of the situation, and needed a way to ensure Kokichi's cooperation. But that, it seemed, was impossible. 

 

“There's _no_ way I'm missing lunch. Speed up your internal monologue, or whatever you're doing,” he continues. “You  _ promised _ we could sit with them, and I won't stand idly by and let you break that promise.”

 

Rantaro opened his mouth to concede, when Kokichi grabbed his arm and started dragging him into the cafeteria.

 

“It looks like an authentic entrance as far as our characters go~” Kokichi explains himself, pulling harder than necessary. Rantaro made a mental note of that for future times in which he was debating on kicking Kokichi's ass or not.

 

“Sorry we took so long!” Kokichi exclaims, closing in on Kaede's lunch table. “ _ Somebody _ thinks it's cool to skip meals.”

 

He then made his point by giving a long look to Rantaro.  

 

It took Rantaro a bit longer than necessary to realize that that was his cue to speak. He could handle putting on an act on his own, but keeping up with Kokichi was entirely new. 

 

“It's not skipping if you eat something,” Rantaro argues. "I had SunChips." 

 

“That's just like you,” Kokichi disapproves, shaking his head at the lackluster meal. "Chips aren't a meal!" 

 

Rantaro paused again, focused more on the seating arrangement than on the conversation: you see, there were two seats open at the table. One next to Kaede, and one next to Shuichi. 

 

And he knew it would be suspicious if he skipped out on sitting by Kaede, which means he has no choice but to let Kokichi sit by Shuichi.

 

“Oh yeah? Then what are you having?” Rantaro challenges. At home, Kokichi splurged on Panta, chips, and sweets. He shouldn't be talking.

 

“You know I  _ always _ pack a nutritious lunch,” Ouma states, pulling out a Paw Patrol lunch box, flashing Rantaro a mischievous grin after unpacking his peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a Kool-Aid Jammer, and a banana.

 

_ When did he have the time to get that stuff? _

 

Rantaro couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by how prepared Kokichi was.

 

“Well, how about I treat you to lunch,” Kaede offers, standing up. “I can show you how the cafeteria line works here. It'll be fun.”

 

And that was what one called a sticky situation.

 

 On one hand, it meant he got to spend more time with Kaede. But on the other… it meant he was leaving Kokichi alone at a table with the Sheriff's nephew. And Kaito and Maki. 

 

But who was he to refuse when Kaede was already so excited to do so?

 

Flashing one last look of warning to Kokichi, he let Kaede guide him through the cafeteria, and to the nearly empty cafeteria line-- gotta love the perks of small towns.

 

She proceeded to name off every single option, paired with a recollection of a time she tried each item, and her recommendations. 

 

It didn't take much to spark a memory within her, and so she rambled on.

 

But Amami didn't mind it at all.

 

Seeing her eyes light up at the littlest of things reminded him of his sisters. Of when he was human.

 

He felt a pang in his chest at the thought.

 

That's what kept him going back to high school, even after all these years.

 

* * *

 

Once Rantaro and Kaede were out of (human) earshot, Shuichi looked over to Kokichi, and whispered, "Thank you for talking Rantaro into sitting with us. It means a lot to Kaede." 

 

Technically, since Shuichi spoke first, Kokichi had free reign to say whatever he wanted to him.

 

_ But _ , as much as he wanted to wreak havoc, he refrained for the time being.

 

“Of course,” Kokichi replies, playing the nice character he had sadly agreed to becoming.

 

“It's no secret that Kaede likes him,” Another person at the table, Kaito, adds. “But she really does just want to help him- and you- ease into this school. She's a genuine person." 

 

“And as his cousin, you know Rantaro best. Is there... anything we should know about him?” Shuichi continues, getting to the meat of the conversation. "Or be wary about?" 

 

“...” Kokichi pauses with a sigh. This was his moment to ruin everything Rantaro had done so far. He could create bullshit stories about how terrible Rantaro was, and how he took advantage of girls, sat backwards in chairs, and kicked puppies. They already knew one of those things to be true, so it wouldn't be that hard to convince them of the rest.

 

But of course, Kokichi did the  _ right _ thing, like some kind of softie. "We… fight a lot. But he's a good person deep down. He  _ tries _ to seem all  _ cool _ and  _ mysterious _ , but that's all it is: an act. He needs a place where he can fit in is all." 

 

Shuichi, Kaito, and even the quiet girl Maki seemed to believe every word of it, so he continued. “We've moved a lot growing up, but we're getting sick of it. We're hoping Mystic Falls can be our final destination... It would only make sense, after all.”

 

“I was wondering about that. Amami  _ is _ the name of one of the founding families,” Shuichi reveals, supporting Kokichi's story. 

 

“Mhm,” Kokichi plays along, as if he had known that from the beginning. “And we inherited some big house when his dad disappeared.”

 

Ouma hoped Rantaro didn't mind him ending his dad's legacy that way, it was for science. (And not the boring kind.)

 

Kokichi watched as Shuichi's eyes flashed at the last statement, and knew he had found his answer: Shuichi's parents were a couple of deadbeats that ditched him, but weren't dead.

 

A pity.

 

“So  _ that's _ where you're living. The Amami Mansion,” Kaito says, having an aha moment of his own. “It's been empty our whole life- I was starting to wonder if it was abandoned.”

 

“We're back!” Kaede exclaims, motioning to Rantaro's cafeteria tray with a satisfied smile. 

 

It contained a somewhat slimy piece of pizza, cold fries, a cardboard container of chocolate milk, and applesauce.

Truth be told, none of it looked at all appetizing. But what'd you expect? It's a public school.

 

That would be fine and dandy if it weren't for the way Rantaro and Kaede were looking at one another.

 

The lovey-dovey eyes they were giving each other was a whole new form of pitiful. Making out would've been less PDA.

 

They proceeded to sit down, and Kokichi debated sticking a wooden stake in Rantaro's heart for good measures.

 

The worst part of the whole ordeal was that neither of the two noticed that the feelings were reciprocated. 

 

If Rantaro was still this bad in the romance department, Kokichi didn't even want to picture how much of a shitshow it was when he was human.

 

He probably even believed in love at first sight and other senseless things like that.

 

Thankfully, the bell rang, putting an end to that torture, just to push him straight into another. 

 

You see, that bell meant he had to go to science class next, the worst of all for Ouma.

 

He had hated the subject when he was human, but now that he was a vampire, he knew that it was also  _ pointless _ .

  
Science had no explanation as to why the sun made his skin burn. Or that the only way of getting around that fact was wearing a bewitched Daylight ring on his finger. This alone was enough to conclude that  _ science _ isn't the answer to anything,  _ magic _ is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave any feedback, comments are fun to receive. 
> 
> & I promise we'll get to fun vampire stuff soon enough :").


	5. Rantaro Amami Stars In A Telenovela (credited as "Dumbass")

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro Amami and his stupid vampire emotions make him fall in love too quickly. And Kokichi hates science.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter last updated 9/8

“Woah. You really  _ do _ have it bad,” Kokichi remarks to Rantaro as they make their way to the class of doom.

 

… he was still working on the nickname.

 

“What?” He asks in response, oblivious to the unsaid topic at hand.

 

“First you smile when Kaede tilts her head, then you only think twice about leaving me alone with the Sheriff's nephew and his friends,” Ouma begins his observation. Usually, Rantaro thought it through at least eighteen times, and even after didn't let him remain unsupervised. “And now you're staring off into space daydreaming about her when you could be spending quality time talking to me. It’s obvious: _ you're in love _ .”

 

“You're overthinking,” Rantaro tries to argue, but Kokichi isn't having it. 

 

“I didn't think I was in charge of telling you all of your emotions, but geez. L-O-V-E love,” He explains with an eye roll. “You're like a character in a Telenovela: a dumbass who falls in love easily.”

 

“I would suggest being kinder to me,” Amami provides, sighing at Kokichi's jab. “I'm stronger than you.”

 

“Let's say we do fight, and you maybe even off me. Then what? You're going to explain to Kaede how your adorable and charming cousin disappeared? Not a chance. The boy in blue would be onto you in no time.” Kokichi guesses, his theory confirmed by Rantaro's expression.

  
  


“Exactly. Oh, and by boy in blue I don't mean the cops. I mean Shuichi, especially after what I told him at lunch,” He continues, sticking his tongue out, purposefully egging Rantaro on.

 

If it was a joke, Rantaro didn't find it funny.

 

Pulling Kokichi to the side in hopes of being out of earshot, Rantaro uses a low voice, “What did you tell him?”

 

“Don't get your fangs in a twist. I just told him about how dear old Uncle Amami disappeared, leaving us all alone to inherit an ugly mansion,” Kokichi explains, dramatizing every word. “I really sold it too. Poor Shuichi looked like his parents were ditching him all over again.”

 

“ _ Ah _ . So you used the time to figure that out,” Rantaro takes a deep breath, regaining his composure. “But I'll have you know that's my childhood home you're insulting.”

 

* * *

 

“How was the lunchline with Amami?” Shuichi asks Kaede on their way to science class. 

The detective was a fan it, especially when they delved into forensics. That's when he started having fun with it.

 

“Perfect,” Kaede answers, her eyes lighting up in response to the reminder of Rantaro. “Sure, sometimes he's all standoffish and secretive... but he's a really great listener.”

 

“What happened to careful?” Maki questions, recalling their conversation with Tenko and Himiko from earlier.

 

“Let her have this,” Kaito pleads with her, arguing on Kaede's side for once.

 

“It's rude and naive to ignore warnings from people who are looking out for you,” Maki states, not backing down. It seemed she didn't buy the sob story Kokichi provided after all. 

 

Before Shuichi could say anything in her defense, Kaede stepped in, addressing Maki's criticism. “You're absolutely right. I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to get to know him better before I automatically write him off as good. We haven't even hung out outside of school yet.”

 

“That is a good point,” Kaito admits. “So get to know him. Then there'll be no problem.”

 

“I have the perfect idea for that!” Kaede announces, a hopeful smile forming on her face as she turns to Shuichi. “But… I'll need my detective's assistance.”

 

* * *

 

Sadly, the time ran out for Kokichi to pester Rantaro, and the nightmare hour began. Oh, how he yearned to compel his way out of it, or even skip the class the old fashioned way, but Mr. Meanie Pants Amami said no to both.

 

But what made the class even worse was that their next assignment was a take home lab. With partners the teacher chose. 

 

“Are they even allowed to do that?” Kokichi asks, his befuddled expression evident on his face. Screw being the nice, perfect person he had been for the past few hours around his peers. School sucked, and not in the cool vampire way.

 

“Everyone's house is in walking distance,” Kiibo, one of Kokichi’s partners, explains. “So teachers figure that it's not too much of an inconvenience.”

 

“It's a bunch of fuckin' horseshit,” Miu argues. “What if I don't want to go to Kiibo's house?”

 

“You were there two days ago-”

 

“Shut it. All I'm saying is that school should remain in school,” Miu determines. “Besides, we could get  _ kidnapped _ by some maniac on our way home. It's a safety hazard.”

 

“The likelihood of that is close to zero,” Kiibo enlightens, but Miu doesn't care.

 

“Either way, my house is off limits,” Miu announces. “I don't allow schoolwork anywhere near it. All that work kills my inspiration.”

 

Now, Kokichi could lay low and wait for Kiibo to offer his up like Rantaro would want him to do, or...

 

“If it's absolutely necessary, mine is available,” He declares, and when Kiibo says that if it's more convenient to do at his, Kokichi shushes him.

 

Kokichi blamed Rantaro for making him go to this class, even if Kokichi was the one to beg to go to school in the first place,aso inviting a couple of humans over would be payback enough.

 

This plan was much easier than accepting responsibility for his dumb decision of going back to school.

 

“Then it's settled. Your place, 6 o'clock,” Miu summarizes, giving a wink that mirrored Kokichi's legendary winks that only had the purposes of making people uncomfortable and sending them into a romantic crisis. 

 

It both infuriated him and impressed him.  

 

“Come on. You can do better than that,” Kokichi criticizes. “Don't settle for decent, add emotion, twirl your hair. Have fun with it, that's what really makes your target all hot and bothered.”

 

“I- uh-” She stutters, caught off guard by his commentary. Aw, what a shame. She was all bark and no bite.

* * *

 

“You  _ what _ ?” Rantaro exclaims once Kokichi finally bothered to tell him the news.

 

“It's not my fault, it's the small town public school system's. We should protest,” Kokichi deflects. "I'm thinking posters, ad campaigns-" 

 

“I'll tell Kaede and Shuichi something came up and I can't do the project,” Rantaro interrupts, working out a game plan in his head. “And I'll make sure nothing goes wrong. Yeah, that'll work.”

 

“You got paired with them?” Ouma gasps, seemingly offended. “No fair! I got a walking dictionary and a malfunctioning Walmart knock-off girl version of me.”

 

“None of that matters,” Rantaro sighs, knowing that there was nothing he could say to get through to him. “We have blood bags in our fridge, Kokichi. They can't come here. What if they find something and figure out what we are?”

 

“Then I'll use my mystical vampire powers and compel them,” Kokichi shrugs.

 

“It's not that simple-”

 

“What's not that simple?” Kaede asks, walking up to them with Shuichi at her side.

 

“...” Rantaro blanks, unsure of what to cover his tracks with.

 

“The science project,” Kokichi bullshits. That was, in a way, what they had been talking about, so it wasn't much of a lie. “Rantaro's a little worried about it.”

 

That little shit always has to know what he's doing, doesn't he? 

 

Rantaro glares at Ouma's comment to stay in character, but shoots him a grateful glance when the others look away.

 

“It's whatever,” He mumbles to them, faking embarrassment in his tone.

 

But the soft look on Kaede's face as she tilts her head makes even his staged personality feel like everything's right in the world, and her light giggle made his head spin.

 

And shit. Kokichi was right yet again. 

 

Every movement of hers made his throat tighten up and trip over his thoughts. 

Stupid vampire emotions, intensifying everything.

He really did like her.

He just hoped it didn't complicated anything. 

 

And so, with those thoughts in mind, when Kaede asked her next question, his answer spilled out of his mouth before he got the chance to properly comprehend it. 

 

“So… I was wondering if you guys wanted to hang out after we're all done on the project?” She proposes, talking to both Rantaro and Kokichi. “I was thinking rollerblading?”

 

“Absolutely,” Rantaro automatically says, before reminding himself to be subtle. “I-I mean… we'll see. That night's kinda busy.”

 

… Real smooth.

 

“Oh, that sounds amazing!” Kokichi agrees, adding the amount of fluff in his words a stereotypical gay best friend would. “I  _ love _ rollerblading, so this is perfect. It's a  _ date _ .”

 

Rantaro could barely fight the urge to punch him for emphasizing his last word.


	6. I Don't Want To Be Like You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone loves a science project, especially when you're a vampire inviting humans into your ancient mansion for the first time, or when you're a vampire that cant enter a house unless invited in by the owner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter last updated 9/8

“Is your idea of getting rid of all vampire evidence in the house  _ really _ just spring cleaning?” Kokichi groans as he's instructed to sweep the floor. “This is a  _ science  _ project, not a  _ house inspection _ .”

 

“Is your idea of a conversation complaining?” Rantaro combats, feeling as though this was how every encounter of theirs went, despite them living together for several months.

 

“Every time I do so, just remember that you're the only reason I'm not dead in a ditch,” Kokichi reminds, dropping the broom out of boredom. “You could've left me for dead. But you wanted to do the  _ right _ thing, and look where that got you.”

 

“You're trying to make me feel bad for saving your life?” Amami sighs, the very motion becoming his catchphrase as he buried the blood bags in the back of the fridge, covered by human food.

 

"Well, duh." He admits, letting the broom clang on the floor, signaling the completion of his first task. "And  _ technically _ , you  _ didn't _ save me. You  _ tried _ to. And  _ failed. _ And now I'm an immortal, bloodsucking monster. So thanks for that."

 

"You're acting like  _ I'm _ the one that killed you,"Rantaro raises his arms up in defeat.

 

"What do you expect when you won't tell me who did?" Kokichi mumbles under his breath. 

 

And before Rantaro can explain himself, the sound of footsteps meets their ears.

 

“They're here,” Rantaro says, putting an end to their conversation.

 

“Pity,” Kokichi mumbles, before waltzing to the door, letting their guests in. So far, they were the only people at the school he wasn't being fake around only time will tell when that'll change. 

 

“You fucks live here?” Miu asks, admiring their mansion the second she walks in. “What, are you, like, millionaires?”

 

“Miu, you're being rude,” Kiibo tries to stop her, but stopping Miu from doing anything was a struggle.

 

“I know, isn't it great? But if you like this piece of junk, you should have seen where I lived before-” Kokichi indulges.

 

“Tell me about it, fucker,” She says, picking up some ‘vintage’ item Kokichi didn't even know the identity of.  

 

Audibly sighing, Rantaro smuggled the item, which turned out to be a vase, out of the girls hands and frantically placed it back where it came from.

 

Not looking too bothered by the fact, Miu refocuses her attention on Kokichi, awaiting his answer.

 

“Oh? It was the street," he shrugs.

 

“H-huh?” She sputters out, not quite sure if he was joking or not.

 

“Kokichi,” Rantaro scolds him, shaking his head.

 

“What? I have to relieve all my childhood trauma one way or another,” Ouma insists, taking the bag of supplies Kiibo was holding.

 

“Shoot, I have to go,” Rantaro regretfully announces after checking the time on his phone. He then turns to the rest of the group, looking like a frantic mom giving a babysitter directions. "There's snacks in the fridge, try not to break anything, and Kokichi has my number if you need to reach me."

 

"Does that mean no starting fires either, mom?" Kokichi teases, letting out one of his famous laughs. "We'll be fine! The project isn't dangerous, all we're doing is building roller coasters."

 

"Actually, the project is to determine the velo-" Kiibo attempts to inform, before being shut down by a particular loud mouthed blonde.  

 

"Exactly, guacamole boy. It's like playing with hot wheels, so don't get all hot and bothered about it. Besides, this busty blonde genius will get it done in no time!" Miu announces, in her typical Miu fashion which proved to Rantaro that this was a bad idea.

 

"Guacamole boy?" He repeats, nearly frozen in place with the disbelief that Kokichi was paired with someone like that. If it wasn't for the other boy, it surely would have been considered the team from his worst nightmares.

 

"I  _ definitely _ need to use that one," Ouma enthuses, writing it down on his stereotypically pale arm to save for a later date.

 

Amami wasn't about to change plans with Kaede and Shuichi at such short notice, but oh how he yearned to call them and cancel just so he could keep an eye on the gremlin he forced to live with him.

 

Rubbing his temple, he sighed once more, and turned to Kiibo. "Try to keep them in line, will you?"

 

"I will try my best," Kiibo promises, which is enough for Rantaro as he races out the door.

 

"Is your cousin always so…" Iruma questions, making a gagging motion with her hand.

 

"Oh yeah. He's the worst. It's always Kokichi that could kill you, Kokichi stop lying, Kokichi don't ki-" Ouma starts his ramble, as emotional as ever, his hands flying every which way, before it dawned on him that his third bullet point was not one he should share.

 

No, Kokichi. Do not tell them Rantaro has to remind you not to kill anyone.

 

Biting his lip at his almost slip up, he instead dramatically exclaims, "Who cares! He's not here now. Let's eat ice cream!"

 

With that, he not so gently throws the bag of supplies Kiibo had brought, ready to discard the project entirely for the sweet release of an ice cream break.

 

"Hell yeah!" Miu announces, skipping towards the fridge, and Kokichi would never admit it, but his heart skipped a beat of worry when she almost opened the fridge instead of the freezer.

 

Now this really was the worst! He was turning into Rantaro! Always worrying about nothing! They had hidden the blood bags, so even if she had opened the fridge, everything would have been fine. Rantaro was brainwashing him, that  _ had _ to be it. 

 

"I'm not supposed to have dairy-" Kiibo shyly admits, as Iruma pulls out a bucket of Cookies n Cream ice cream.

 

"Let's feast!" Ouma disregards the poor boy next to him, eager to forget all of his troubles, and maybe even break an ancient vase or two for good measure.

 

* * *

 

It'll be fine, Rantaro attempts to convince himself.

 

You'll only be gone a few hours. Kokichi wont do anything rash in that time.

 

Taking one last deep breath, Rantaro knocks on Shuichi's door, giving up any last possibility of turning around.

 

It didn't take long for Kaede to open the door, her face instantly being showered in a smile at the mere sight of him.

 

"Kaede," He greets, matching her smile.

 

That is, until he had a realization: he couldn't come in unless Shuichi invited him in. And if Kaede was the one who answered the door…

 

He swallowed, not knowing how he was going to explain to her why he wasn't coming in.

 

This had the potential of being very, very bad.

 

"I was wondering if you were going to show up," She says, shading him for being a few minutes later than when he was supposed to get there.

 

His reflexes told him to apologize immediately, but the act he was putting on reminded him to play it cool. Or at least, as cool as he could manage (not very). 

 

"I got held up," He vaguely replies in place of a more suitable apology. 

 

Small talk was good in a situation like this, it kept the focus off of him not entering the house sooner, but his mysterious bad boy persona limited his speech to short, not at all descriptive phrases.

 

In response to his statement, Kaede gives a small frown, before covering it up with another grin, "I almost forgot! I have something to show you," She cheers, racing out of the doors view to fetch something, leaving the door open, insinuating that he should follow her.

 

But of course, the forces of nature would not allow it, and he was stranded outside until a miracle happened.

 

Which, thankfully enough, quickly occurred in the form of Shuichi Saihara himself, who walked over to the door, and asked, "Kaede ran off after barely remembering to greet you, didn't she? Well, come on in. Everything's set up in the living room."

 

With those words, the boundary was lifted, and with a sigh of relief, Rantaro could now step inside without hesitation.

 

"She gets like that when she's nervous," Shuichi continues to explain as they walk into the living room. "All scatter-brained."

 

"Nervous?" Rantaro curiously asks, "Why is she nervous."

 

"I thought it was obvious," Shuichi quietly mumbles to himself, before looking back up at Rantaro. "Well, because  _ you're _ here."

 

"Oh," Amami realizes, the heat of teen romance flooding his cheeks. 

 

Of course she was nervous: he was too.

 

Now that Shuichi had brought it up, more than ever. 

 

"Ah, Rantaro! There you are," Kaede returns, quite obviously hiding something behind her back. The signs of nervousness were all there: her slightly shaky hands, the quickness in which she talked…

 

"Look!" She announces, showcasing the items that had previously been out of sight. They were beautifully white rollerblades with a light pink accent color. And brand new, by the look of them.

 

"When Shuichi and I were buying the supplies for the project, we were passing by an aisle when they caught my eye! They'll be perfect for tonight," Kaede rambles on and on, her smile never fading. 

 

And once again, Rantaro didn't mind watching her talk and talk. He quite preferred it. 

 

But then she stopped speaking, and his perfect world came crashing down. 

He spent so much time watching her talk that he hadn't thought about what he'd say at all, and she was looking at him, eagerly awaiting his reaction.

 

God Dammit. How does Kokichi do this? 

 

All he wanted to do was smile, and tell her how much he couldn't wait, but that was out of character. 

 

Was 'cool' too harsh? Was he taking too long?

 

Finally, he settled on a dumb smirk with an even dumber, "I've got a black pair just like 'em." Which was dumb of course, because he did not have such rollerblades, and was lying his ass off like a fool. 

 

Like Kokichi. But worse. 

 

What the hell was he thinking? How was he going to get one by dark?

 

"That makes them even more perfect!" Kaede enthuses, unaware of the predicament Rantaro had just put himself in.

 

The only way he was going to get out of this with a clear mind was if he could find some way to blame Kokichi for his screwup. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave any comments, thoughts, and or suggestions below!


	7. Rollerblading Disasters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro, Kokichi, Shuichi, and Kaede go rollerblading, and absolutely nothing bad happens. (That's a lie!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though delayed, I came through. 
> 
> Enjoy this nonsense, please

"Bye!" Kokichi waves his company out, not in the mood for pleasantries. 

 

"Thank you for-" Kiibo attempts to say, before Kokichi politely slams the door on his and Miu's faces. 

 

He knew it was his fault the project took so long for taking an ice cream break before they even started, but either way! No one should ever have to go through the torture that is a science project. 

 

He needed a drink to calm him down. 

 

He checked his phone for a text from Rantaro, but there was nothing.

 

**K: where r u???**

 

He set his phone on the counter, getting a blood bag from the fridge as he waited for an answer. Rantaro  _ better _ not have gone rollerblading without him, that's for sure. Kaede invited him fair and square! 

 

**R: Omw. Was at store.**

 

Kokichi scrunched his nose up after reading Rantaro's response.  _ What did he need to go to the store for?  _

Shrugging, he drank the blood. 

 

**K: waiting is so boooring. hurry up**

 

Kokichi sent that last text for fun. Rantaro wasn't going to respond, because he didn't like being on his phone while driving, which Kokichi thought was total bullcrap. 

He was a vampire!

If he hit anyone, he would heal. And he could have a tasty snack, too, if the other person died! A win-win. 

 

Maybe Kokichi was just bitter because he couldn't legally drive. But to be fair,  _ dying _ kind of got in his way. That, and the only person who  _ could _ have taught him was the Drivers Ed teacher at his old school. And she was creepy! 

 

Rantaro showed up 10 minutes later holding a pair of rollerblades. 

 

"You panicked, didn't you?" Kokichi asks pointedly. 

 

"I don't want to talk about it," Rantaro admits. "Let's just go before we're late." 

 

"Fine. I call shotgun!" 

 

"Isn't… that where you would have sat either way?" Rantaro asks, a confused expression on his face.

 

"Don't ruin the sentiment," Kokichi dismisses with a shake of the head as the two board into the car. 

 

Rantaro was too busy internally worrying to talk on the way there, so Kokichi took on the burden of making conversation. 

 

"So… vampires on skates?" He was clearly good at it. "A double threat."

 

"Anything we do is vampires doing it." Rantaro states, unaffected. 

 

Kokichi scrunched up his nose. "Booo. You're no fun... Kaede has a sucky taste in men." 

 

Rantaro, despite his safe driving stance, risks crashing to hit Kokichi on the shoulder. 

 

Soon enough, they were there, at some off-brand Great Skate that reeked of who knows what.

 

Kaede and Shuichi were already inside waiting for them. 

 

"Woah!" Kaede exclaims, running up to them, with Shuichi walking behind. "Our skates look perfect together!" 

 

She was glowing with excitement.

 

Kokichi refrained from rolling his eyes. 

 

Shuichi jumped into the conversation, by saying, "I'm going to go rent my skates, care to join?" 

 

"Anything to get me away from that," Kokichi motions to Rantaro, who had the dumbest smile on his face as he talked to Kaede. 

 

Shuichi shakes his head at the comment as they head to the counter. "I think it's cute." 

 

"If you like Hallmark movies, maybe." Kokichi mumbles, gaining a muffled laugh from Shuichi that he didn't expect. 

 

Score. 

 

"You have a point. But out of everyone, Kaede deserves that kind of story." He shrugs, before turning his attention to the man at the counter, who seemed a little too high to be at work, but never mind that. "One pair of inline skates, please." 

 

Kokichi heard the shoe size of course, but it's impolite to run and tell such personal information. 

 

When it was Kokichi's turn, he blanked. 

 

"Dude. Quads or Inline?" The cashier asks. 

 

That was the problem. Mathematically speaking, everyone else had inlines, which meant getting quads would make him the odd one out, and give Rat ammunition to tease him. But logically speaking, he really, really sucked at rollerblading. 

 

"Inlines." He answers, following the new Amami Ouma tradition of making royally bad decisions. 

 

Shuichi and Kokichi sat on a nearby bench to put on their skates, making sure to tie them tight. Kaede and Rantaro were doing the same from across the room. 

 

"I like giving them their space." Shuichi comments after finishing one of his skates. "Kaede always wants to include me, but she forgets to leave time for herself."

 

"You must  _ really _ care about her," Kokichi teases, scrunching his nose as he looks at his untied skates. 

 

"It's not like that." Shuichi objects in the calmest way. "We tried dating, but-"

 

"Wait. You two  _ dated _ !?" Kokichi exclaims, attempting to bunny-ear his right skate, and failing miserably. 

 

Thankfully, the two lovebirds were too interested in whatever dumb conversation they were having to overhear his yelling. 

 

"Crazy, huh?" Shuichi shrugs. At this point, his other skate was laced up as well, and he was watching as Kokichi not so successfully attempted to accomplish the same feat. "We were always better as friends. That will never change." 

 

Shuichi pauses, slight hesitation in his words. "Would you… like some help?" 

 

If it was easy for vampires to blush, Kokichi's face would be red with embarrassment right about now.

 

"I know how to tie shoes," Kokichi defensively states without objecting the offer. 

 

As Shuichi came to his aid, Kokichi refused to make eye contact, and stuck his nose up in the air in another direction. 

 

"I know," Shuichi simply adds, quiet as can be. 

 

Shuichi was kind of cute, Kokichi noticed. In a quiet, nerdy kind of way. 

 

Or maybe that was just him subconsciously trying to get back at Rantaro for something. That happened a lot. And he was only pretending to struggle with his laces, maybe.

 

"There you are!" Kaede and Rantaro approach, just as Shuichi finishes tying Kokichi's laces. "Come on, let's skate. I requested some music!" 

 

Kokichi pulled on Rantaro's arm to stand up, off putting his balance. 

 

"Woah!" Kaede moves to help catch him. 

 

Rantaro shot Kokichi a look. 

 

But Kokichi didn't apologize; if anything, all he had done was to become the best wingman ever. 

 

The gang began making their way inside the rink. The second Kokichi tried to move, however, he noticed how wobbly he truly was. 

 

He was going to fall for sure at some point in the night. 

 

So he stuck to his tried and true method of hanging onto the wall for dear life! 

 

And of course, Shuichi, who was apparently a master rollerblader, noticed. Rantaro did too, but Kokichi didn't care about Rantaro. Rantaro already knew he was terrible at it, which is why they were here in the first place. 

 

"You can hang onto my arm," Shuichi offers, holding his hand out to Kokichi. "I can teach you how to balance. I-If you want to learn, I mean- Sorry." 

 

God, Kokichi hated people like Shuichi.

 

So pathetic, he could hardly say no to them. 

 

And so he let go of the wall and clung to Shuichi's arm instead. 

 

"It's okay…" Shuichi steadies him. "It took me awhile to learn too. Do you trust me?" 

 

Ha!  _ Trust _ ? 

 

Kokichi Ouma trusted no one. Not Rantaro, not himself, and most definitely not the sheriff's nephew. 

 

...but  _ perhaps _ he could make an exception just for the night. 

 

"Good," Shuichi's face lightens as a gentler tone is adopted to his voice. "Start by standing up straighter."

 

Kokichi complied, taking a deep breath. He wanted to keep trusting Shuichi, but his brain kept thinking back to all of those movies where the parents taught their kids how to ride a bike without training wheels. In every single one of them, the parent let go at some point.  "Okay. But you better not let go." 

 

"I won't," Shuichi reassures. The more help he was offering Kokichi, the more comfortable he seemed about it. "Next… position your feet a shoulders width apart." 

 

Kokichi looked like a starfish. 

 

"Er… bring them in just a little bit." Kokichi wasn't sure Shuichi  _ didn't _ have superpowers, lasting this long without making fun of him. 

 

"There you go." Kokichi was perfectly balanced now. Or at least balanced enough to stand on his own, which was still a big win. 

 

But even still, Shuichi didn't let go of Kokichi's hand, just like he promised. 

 

So Kokichi had to be the one to ruin it. Even he was regretful of that. 

 

"Do you think about them a lot?" Kokichi always went for the gut. 

 

"Who?" He asked in return, but tensed up, squeezing Kokichi's hand in the process. Shuichi knew what this was about. 

 

"Your parents." It wasn't as much of a stab as Shuichi anticipated. 

 

"Only when I want to spiral," He answers. "You?" 

 

"Never," Kokichi responds. "Fuck 'em."

 

Shuichi only nodded. 

 

They didn't do much skating after that, saving it for a part two that would hopefully take place. It didn't take long for the two groups to say their goodbyes. 

 

Soon after, Rantaro and Kokichi were on the road to home. 

 

"She's perfect," Rantaro announces. 

 

"No one's perfect," Kokichi argues. A partial truth; Kokichi  _ did _ exist, after all. 

 

"I don't know about that…"

 

"Just ask her out already," Kokichi groans. 

 

"..." Rantaro paused, a slight hum accompanying his thought process. "Okay." 

 

" _ What _ ?" Kokichi was expecting a punch, not a serious answer. 

 

"I like her, what is there to lose?" Rantaro shrugs, his eyes clouded with loverboy syndrome. "And you haven't screwed anything up lately, so-" 

 

"Fine. If you're asking her out, then I'm asking Shuichi out," he meant it as a joke. That should've been obvious. But the reaction on Rantaro's face was evident that it wasn't taken that way. 

 

"No!" Rantaro was snapped into reality, like waking up from a bad dream. 

 

"That was a lie!" Kokichi defends, rolling his eyes. Rantaro was always so dramatic. 

 

"You like him." Rantaro states. He was sure of it. 

 

"..." Kokichi wanted to argue, but some small part of him wasn't sure Rantaro was wrong. "Hmph." 

 

"This is bad." Rantaro starts panicking. "That's going to get in the way of everything. He'll figure us out." 

 

"And dating Kaede won't?" Ouma counters. 

 

They could argue about this forever. And they would've, too, if it weren't for a more pressing matter greeting them at the door.

 

It came in the form of a note that read:

 

_ Two little guests walk home alone.  _

_ If their absence is disheartening,  _

_ Come to the place that damns your soul. _ ****

 

**_Yours truly,_ **

 

**_Kamakura_ **

 

Rantaro's eyes landed on the signature, reading and rereading the line in horror "Kokichi?" 

 

"Hm?" 

 

"...Are you ready to meet your murderer?"

 

And the world started to spin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Reactions, comments, and suggestions are great to relay! Make use of the comment box <3

**Author's Note:**

> A short beginning, but ey, it establishes the premise of the story, and that's what first chapters are supposed to do.


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